U.S. patent application number 11/567930 was filed with the patent office on 2007-06-14 for flow board for fuel cell.
Invention is credited to TSANG-MING CHANG, Chihi-Jung Kao, Chun-Wei Pan.
Application Number | 20070134542 11/567930 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37613779 |
Filed Date | 2007-06-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070134542 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHANG; TSANG-MING ; et
al. |
June 14, 2007 |
FLOW BOARD FOR FUEL CELL
Abstract
A flow board applied to a fuel cell is disclosed. The fuel cell
includes at least one membrane electrode assembly. The flow board
comprises a plate body having one or more concave portions, each of
which is disposed corresponding to the position of a membrane
electrode assembly, and one or more current collection sheets made
from a conductive material, wherein each current collection sheet
covers a corresponding concave portion of the plate body, and the
current collection sheets are fixed on the plate body.
Inventors: |
CHANG; TSANG-MING; (Taipei,
TW) ; Kao; Chihi-Jung; (Taipei, TW) ; Pan;
Chun-Wei; (Taipei, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
G. LINK CO., LTD.
3550 BELL ROAD
MINOOKA
IL
60447
US
|
Family ID: |
37613779 |
Appl. No.: |
11/567930 |
Filed: |
December 7, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
429/483 ;
428/457; 429/508; 429/514; 429/517 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01M 8/0226 20130101;
H01M 8/021 20130101; H01M 8/0206 20130101; Y02E 60/50 20130101;
Y10T 428/31678 20150401; H01M 8/0213 20130101; H01M 8/0221
20130101; H01M 2008/1095 20130101; H01M 8/0247 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
429/038 ;
428/457 |
International
Class: |
H01M 8/02 20060101
H01M008/02; B32B 15/04 20060101 B32B015/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 9, 2005 |
TW |
094221451 |
Claims
1. A flow board for a fuel cell, the fuel cell includes at least
one membrane electrode assembly, the flow board comprising: a plate
body comprising one or more concave portions, each concave portion
is disposed corresponding to a position of the membrane electrode
assembly, wherein the plate body comprises a substrate selected
from a group consisting of a chemical-resistant non-conductive
engineering plastic substrate, a graphite substrate, a metallic
substrate, a plastic carbon substrate, and a composite substrate;
one or more current collection sheets made from a conductive
material, each current collection sheet covers a corresponding
concave portion of the plate body, and the current collection
sheets are fixed on the plate body, wherein each of the current
collection sheets is a railing structure or wavy structure.
2. The flow board of claim 1, wherein the current collection sheet
is made of a material selected from a group consisting of copper
(Cu), stainless steel (SUS316), alloy, or conductive polymer with
low resistance.
3. The flow board of claim 1, wherein the current collection sheet
is sealed onto a surface of the plate body by adhering and/or
riveting and/or locking.
4. The flow board of claim 1, wherein the concave portions are
formed on a top surface and a bottom surface of the plate body.
5. The flow board of claim 1, wherein the concave portions are
formed on a top surface of the plate body.
6. The flow board of claim 1, further comprising: one or more
support members deployed inside each concave portion.
7. The flow board of claim 6, wherein the support members are
deployed in a form of railings.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a flow board for a fuel
cell, and more particularly, to a flow board capable of collecting
current.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A fuel cell is a power generator, which converts chemical
energy stored within fuels and oxidants directly into electricity
through a reaction at its electrodes. The kinds of fuel cells are
diverse and their classifications are varied. According to the
properties of electrolytes thereof, fuel cells can be divided into
five types including alkaline fuel cells, phosphoric acid fuel
cells, proton exchange membrane fuel cells, fuse carbonate fuel
cells, and solid oxide fuel cells.
[0003] In the configuration of a conventional fuel cell, an anode
flow board and a cathode flow board are respectively disposed at
the anodes and the cathodes of membrane electrode assemblies, the
materials of the flow boards have the characteristics of good
conductivity, high intensity, easy processing, light weight, and
low cost. Presently, materials for flow boards include graphite,
aluminum and stainless steel, and usually utilize graphite. Flow
channels fabricated on flow boards provide pathways for fuels so
that reactants can reach diffusion layers via flow channels and
enter catalytic layers for reactions. Additionally, flow boards are
capable of conducting current, so the current from reactions can be
further applied. For this reason flow boards are also termed
current collection plates.
[0004] However, a conventional flow board (e.g. a graphite board)
is typically large and heavy, and has poor conductivity. Therefore,
an improved flow board able to collect current is needed to
overcome the aforesaid shortcomings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is a primary object of the invention to provide a flow
board for a fuel cell in which the fuel cell itself is small and
light, and the flow board collects current well.
[0006] In accordance with the aforementioned object of the
invention, a flow board for a fuel cell is provided. The fuel cell
includes at least one membrane electrode assembly. The flow board
comprises a plate body having one or more concave portions, each of
which is disposed corresponding to the position of a membrane
electrode assembly, and one or more current collection sheets made
from a conductive material, wherein each current collection sheet
covers a corresponding concave portion of the plate body, and the
current collection sheets are fixed on the plate body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The foregoing aspects, as well as many of the attendant
advantages and features of this invention will become more apparent
by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1A is a perspective and exploded diagram of a flow
board according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
[0009] FIG. 1B is a perspective and associated diagram of FIG.
1A;
[0010] FIG. 1C illustrates the cross section of FIG. 1B;
[0011] FIG. 2A is a perspective and exploded diagram of a flow
board according to another preferred embodiment of the
invention;
[0012] FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional and associated diagram of FIG.
2A;
[0013] FIG. 3A is a perspective and exploded diagram of a flow
board according to yet another preferred embodiment of the
invention;
[0014] FIG. 3B is a perspective and associated diagram of FIG.
3A;
[0015] FIG. 4A is a perspective and exploded diagram of a flow
board according to yet another preferred embodiment of the
invention; and
[0016] FIG. 4B is a perspective and associated diagram of FIG.
4A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] FIG. 1A is a perspective and exploded diagram of a flow
board according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1B
is a perspective and associated diagram of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C
illustrates the cross section of FIG. 1B. A flow board 1 capable of
collecting current may be applied to a fuel cell that has at least
one membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The flow board 1 includes a
plate body 11 and one or more current collection sheets 13, which
are individually described hereinafter.
[0018] The plate body 11 may adopt a substrate, such as a
chemical-resistant non-conductive engineering plastic substrate, a
graphite substrate, a metallic substrate, a plastic carbon
substrate, or a composite substrate. The plate body 11 is furnished
with at least one concave portion 110. The concave portion 110 is
formed on the surface of the plate body 11, and each concave
portion 110 is disposed corresponding to the position of a MEA (not
shows) of a fuel cell. The flow board 1 further includes one or
more support members 110a deployed inside the concave portion 110
in the form of railings.
[0019] The current collection sheet 13 which is a thin and flat
sheet structure may be made from a conductive material, for
example, copper (Cu), stainless steel (SUS316), alloy, or
conductive polymer with low resistance. Each current collection
sheet 13 covers every concave portion 110 of the plate body 11 and
the support members 110a within the concave portion 110. The
current collection sheet 13 is fixed on the plate body 11 and
sealed onto the surface of the plate body 11 by adhering and/or
riveting and/or locking.
[0020] FIG. 2A is a perspective and exploded diagram of a flow
board according to another preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional and associated diagram of FIG. 2A. A
flow board 2 capable of collecting current is a two-sided flow
board, which may be applied to a fuel cell with at least one
membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The flow board 2 includes a
plate body 21 and one or more current collection sheets 23, which
are described separately hereinafter.
[0021] The plate body 21 may utilize a substrate, such as a
chemical-resistant non-conductive engineering plastic substrate or
a composite substrate. The plate body 21 is furnished with one or
more concave portions 210. The concave portions 210 are formed on
the top surface 212 and bottom surface 214 of the plate body 21.
Each concave portion 210 is disposed corresponding to the position
of a MEA (not shown) of a fuel cell. The flow board 2 further
includes one or more support members 210a deployed inside the
concave portion 210 in the form of railings.
[0022] The current collection sheet 23 may be made of a conductive
material, for example, copper (Cu), stainless steel (SUS316),
alloy, or conductive polymer with low resistance. Each current
collection sheet 23 covers every concave portion 210 of the plate
body 21 and the support members 210a within the concave portion
210. The current collection sheet 23 is fixed on the plate body 21
and sealed onto the top surface 212 and bottom surface 214 of the
plate body 21 by adhering and/or riveting and/or locking.
[0023] FIG. 3A is a perspective and exploded diagram of a flow
board according to still another preferred embodiment of the
invention. FIG. 3B is a perspective and associated diagram of FIG.
3A. A flow board 3 capable of collecting current is applied to a
fuel cell having at least one membrane electrode assembly (MEA).
The flow board 3 includes a plate body 31 and one or more current
collection sheets 33, which are separately described
hereinafter.
[0024] The plate body 31 may utilize a substrate selected from a
group consisting of a chemical-resistant non-conductive engineering
plastic substrate, a graphite substrate, a metallic substrate, a
plastic carbon substrate, and a composite substrate. The plate body
31 is furnished with one or more concave portions 310. The concave
portions 310 are formed on a surface of the plate body 31, i.e. the
top surface 312 of the plate body 31. Each concave portion 310 is
disposed corresponding to the position of a fuel cell MEA.
[0025] The current collection sheet 33 may be composed of a
conductive material, for example, copper (Cu), stainless steel
(SUS316), alloy, or conductive polymer with low resistance. Each
current collection sheet 33 may include a wavy structure covering
every concave portion 310 of the plate body 31. The current
collection sheet 33 is fixed on the plate body 31 and sealed onto
the surface of the plate body 31 by adhering and/or riveting and/or
locking. Accordingly, the current collection sheet 33 is able to
collect current; also, the wavy structure thereof may serve as flow
channels. While the concave portion 310 is formed on the top
surface 312 of the plate body 31, it may be formed on the bottom
surface 314 of the plate body 31. Similarly, the current collection
sheet 33 covers every concave portion 310 on the bottom surface 314
of the plate body 31.
[0026] FIG. 4A is a perspective and exploded diagram of a flow
board according to yet another preferred embodiment of the
invention. FIG. 4B is a perspective and associated diagram of FIG.
4A. A flow board 4 capable of collecting current is applied to a
fuel cell comprising at least one membrane electrode assembly
(MEA). The flow board 4 includes a plate body 41 and one or more
current collection sheets 43, which are respectively described
hereinafter.
[0027] The plate body 41 may utilize a substrate selected from a
chemical-resistant non-conductive engineering plastic substrate, a
graphite substrate, a metallic substrate, a plastic carbon
substrate, or a composite substrate. The plate body 41 is furnished
with one or more concave portions 410. The concave portions 410 are
formed on a surface of the plate body 41, i.e. the top surface 412
of the plate body 41. Each concave portion 410 is disposed
corresponding to the position of a fuel cell MEA (not shown).
[0028] The current collection sheet 43 may be made of a conductive
material, such as copper (Cu), stainless steel (SUS316), alloy, or
conductive polymer with low resistance. Each current collection
sheet 43 may include a railing structure covering every concave
portion 410 of the plate body 41. The current collection sheet 43
is fixed on the plate body 41 and sealed onto the surface of the
plate body 41 by adhering and/or riveting and/or locking.
Accordingly, the current collection sheet 43 is able to collect
current; also, the railing structure thereof may be used as flow
channels. In addition to the formation of the concave portion 410
on the top surface 412 of the plate body 41, the concave portion
410 may be formed on the bottom surface 414 of the plate body 41.
Similarly, the current collection sheet 43 covers every concave
portion 410 on the bottom surface 414 of the plate body 41.
[0029] The aforementioned flow board may be applied to manifold
fuel cells, such as fuel cells employing methanol, or fuel cells
with liquid fuels, gaseous fuels or solid fuels. The features and
efficacy of the invention are summarized as follows:
[0030] 1. The current collection sheet may be extremely thinned due
to the intrinsic rigidity of the body of a flow board such that the
volume and weight of the fuel cell made thereby is greatly reduced.
Thus, the compressibility during the fabrication of fuel cells is
controllable; and
[0031] 2. Since the flow board may include a plate body with a
chemical-resistant non-conductive engineering plastic substrate and
a current collection sheet made of a conductive material, the
resultant fuel cell is light and portable, and the flow board
collects current effectively. Moreover, the flow board may include
a conductive plate body with a graphite substrate or a metallic
substrate and a current collection sheet made of a conductive
material. So the flow board has better ability to collect
current.
[0032] While the invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof,
these are, of course, merely examples to help clarify the invention
and are not intended to limit the invention. It will be understood
by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications,
and alterations in form and details may be made therein without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth
in the following claims.
* * * * *